Trio of Striped Bass Amuse Bouche

Copyright 2007 by Cooking With The Single Guy

Striped Bass Crudo with Ruby Grapefruit and Fennel

Ingredients:
4 oz. fresh striped sea bass, cut into rough ¼-inch cubes
1 ruby grapefruit, sectioned
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced like shavings
1 T sesame oil
1 to 2 t sea salt (fleur de sel)

Mix all of the above ingredients and let them marinate in the refrigerator for at least 40 minutes. Garnish with fennel leaves.

Makes 2 to 3 servings. Pair with a glass of sparkling wine or Champagne.

Pan-seared Bass Wrapped in Prosciutto

Ingredients:
Striped sea bass chunks
Prosciutto strips
Red wine
Sugar
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil

Start by making your red wine reduction for the sauce. Pour some red wine into a sauce pan and add some sugar. (About 1 teaspoon of sugar for every ¼ cup of wine.) Continue simmering the red wine until it thickens, about 45 minutes.

Season bass pieces with salt and pepper and then wrap each one with a strip of thinly sliced prosciutto. Warm a non-stick skillet with extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat. Then pan-sear your prosciutto-wrapped bass until brown all all sides. (About 1 minute per side.) Place on plate lined with paper towels to remove excess oil. Plate your bass and drizzle with the red wine reduction. Serve warm.

Serving size depends on number of bass pieces. Pair with a glass of Chianti or the same red wine you used to make the reduction.

Panko-encrusted Striped Bass with Roasted Heirloom Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
6 oz. striped sea bass, cut into 2-inch strips
1 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
2 t dried thyme
1 egg
Extra virgin olive oil

Ingredients for sauce:
1 heirloom tomato
Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
1 T fish sauce
1/2 T sugar
¼ cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Start by roasting your tomatoes in the oven. Cut them into slices and lay them on a roasting dish. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and place in oven. Cook until soften, about 40 minutes. (If they brown slightly, even better because you’ll get a nice smoky flavor.)

When tomatoes are done, remove from oven and place in saucepan. Add broth, sugar and fish sauce and warm over medium heat to blend all the ingredients. Use a whisk to break up any tomato pieces. (If you want a smoother sauce, use a hand blender to puree your tomato. If your sauce is too wet, add some cornstarch or flour to thicken.)

For your bass, set up a dredging station with one plate that includes a whisked egg and a second plate with the panko crumbs seasoned with salt and dried thyme. Dredge your bass pieces in the egg and then in the panko plate, making sure the bread crumbs cover the entire piece. Warm a non-stick skillet over medium high heat with enough olive oil to cover the entire bottom of the skillet. Pan-fry your bass pieces until golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Place pieces on a paper-towel lined plate to remove excess oil.

Plate your fish pieces and serve sauce on the side as a dipping sauce or drizzled on top of your fish.

Makes 2 servings. Pair with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.